Rediscovery of Leptestheria dahalacensis and Eoleptestheria ticinensis
(Crustacea: Branchiopoda: Spinicaudata): an overview on presence and
conservation of clam shrimps in Austria
Reprinted
from Hydrobiologia
318, 203-206 (1996), with kind permission by Kluwer
Academic Publishers
Walter Hödl
& Erich Eder
Abstract
According
to recent literature, five of the six known Austrian ‘conchostracan’
species are extinct. However, interim results of a current study on
large freshwater branchiopods in Austria show that five species still
occur at a restricted number of sites in the Pannonian region of Lower
Austria. The clam shrimps Leptestheria dahalacensis
and Eoleptestheria ticinensis were rediscovered in May
1994 in the flood plains of the river Morava near Marchegg. Imnadia
yeyetta and Cyzicus tetracerus have been known
to the authors in the same region since 1981, and 1992, respectively.
Limnadia lenticularis occurs in the flood plains of the rivers
Morava and Danube
Lynceus
brachyurus, the only Austrian representative of the Laevicaudata,
was not found and most probably got extinct.
All
Austrian clam shrimp species are considered to be endangered. Main
threats are agricultural activities and artificial changes of the
hydrologic conditions. Conservational measures are discussed for their
effectivity.
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